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Ruby Lake Fishing Report

Updated Mon, Sep 14, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

A desert marsh refuge: Ruby Lake holds largemouth bass and trout at the foot of the Ruby Mountains.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Water temp
~84 F est.
Air / High
41 / 70 F
Wind
NNE 6 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Monday
14
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Ruby Lake locks in another hot, bright day: the fish know the drill and so should you. Today brings clear skies, wind NNE around 6 mph, falling pressure near 1015 hPa and a high of 70. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing crescent, the solunar majors run 1:11 AM-3:11 AM and 1:11 PM-3:11 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Excellent

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassGood

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

White bassGood

Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

CrappieFair

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 78 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Tue, Sep 15, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

Nevada requires a fishing licence from age 12, from $40.00 for residents. What a Nevada licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing largemouth bass here? Check the size and bag limits with NDOW before you keep anything. The season dates for Nevada, read off the agency, are on the Nevada seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp41 F
High / Low70 / 40 F
WindNNE 6-7 mph
Pressure1014.8 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset06:22 / 18:52
MoonWaxing Crescent, 8%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Mon Sep 14 · Overcast, 70/40 F, wind 15 mph, rain 0%

Fair or better. A 15 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Ruby Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

When to come: the Ruby Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Ruby Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Sun, Sep 13

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 80 F, wind to 40 mph.

Sat, Sep 12

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at excellent. High of 84 F, wind to 15 mph.

Fri, Sep 11

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at excellent. High of 81 F, wind to 11 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Nevada requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Nevada license. Refuge rules govern seasons, boat access, motors and open areas, and they are stricter than statewide regulations: check current USFWS and NDOW guidance.

Access

Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge launches and access points, with seasonal area closures for nesting birds.

About this water

A spring-fed marsh complex in the Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Elko County, Nevada.

Fishing Ruby Lake: the full guide

A marsh in the desert

Ruby Lake sits in the Ruby Valley of northeastern Nevada at the foot of the Ruby Mountains, a spring-fed marsh complex of about 17,000 acres within the Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Snowmelt springs feed it year-round, creating an improbable wetland in high desert country that holds largemouth bass, rainbow and brown trout, and bass-sized bluegill.

Bass in the marsh

Largemouth bass in a Nevada marsh sound unlikely, but they thrive in the warm shallow water among the bulrush and open channels, taken on plastics, spinnerbaits and topwater worked along the vegetation edges. The refuge’s channels and open pools are fished from small boats, canoes and float tubes, with motor restrictions in place.

Trout in the spring water

Rainbow and brown trout hold the cooler spring-fed areas and the deeper channels, taken on flies, small spinners and bait. The combination of trout and bass in the same water is unusual and results directly from the spring inflow keeping parts of the system cold while the shallows warm.

Elko County logistics

The refuge provides boat launches and access with seasonal restrictions to protect nesting birds: some areas open only in summer, and motor rules are strict. Elko is about 70 miles northwest over gravel road for part of the way. This is remote country: carry fuel, water and a spare tyre, and check refuge rules before going.

Common questions

Largemouth bass in Nevada?

Yes: the warm shallow marsh water suits them, and the refuge holds a genuine bass fishery.

Are there restrictions?

Yes, and strict ones: seasonal closures protect nesting birds and motor rules apply. Check refuge guidance.

How remote is it?

Very: about 70 miles from Elko with gravel road for part of the way. Carry fuel, water and a spare tyre.

Is fishing good at Ruby Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

South Fork Reservoir31 miComins Lake78 miCave Lake83 miWildhorse Reservoir103 miRye Patch Reservoir148 miWeber River190 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 40.2000, -115.5000 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
Written and reviewed by a person against the sources above. Errors are published in the verification log, not quietly corrected.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.

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